Possible new build

[jhansman]

So, as you can see from my sig, my system is gettting a bit long in the tooth. Performance is just fine (some games, Adobe PS & LR), but at boot up my initialization screen takes longer and longer to appear, and the other day it got stuck on the first line and showed no more until I rebooted. Since nothing lasts forever and I've been out of the hardware game for years, I have no idea if I can salvage any or all of my components for a new build. I'm not opposed to stepping up to a "modern" mobo, CPU & RAM, but I'd rather not have to start from scratch if I don't have to. I know I can use my current storage for some time to come, but the rest is new info for me. I'd appreciate some recommendations in case she goes teats up on me tomorrow. Not looking for cutting edge, but I also want current technology if it doesn't run me a paycheck (or two). Thanks for any feedback you can offer.

Heh, just noticed that this post should probably have been put in Computer Building. Mods, please feel free to move it if need be.

 

[Flayed]

Hard to make recommendations from what you have said as not sure what you want. You want a new build but to keep your old components? Or you want a new build with used components? What is the budget?

 

[jhansman]

Hard to make recommendations from what you have said as not sure what you want. You want a new build but to keep your old components? Or you want a new build with used components? What is the budget?

I'm not getting your distinction, but for clarity's sake let's say I'd like to re-use the RAM and processor, if possible. I have no idea how much "better" the new AMD processors are or if the latest RAM walks all over what I have, but neither is dead yet, so I'm willing to keep them if I can. Budget? Under $400, if that's possible these days.

 

[Flayed]

Check ebay maybe you will find a used motherboard for your rig if thats what you want. You can't buy new ones anymore.
The CPU and RAM you have are not compatible with new motherboards so the alternative is to replace the CPU, motherboard and RAM.

 

[jhansman]

Yeah, I was afraid that was the case. When I built this rig, it was all pretty much the latest out there. I'm not up for spending what it would take to replace it all, so I'll just keep my data backed up and fingers crossed. Thanks.

 

[Flayed]

Budget? Under $400, if that's possible these days.

This is my recommendation for you:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 2700 3.2 GHz 8-Core Processor ($185.29 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock B450M PRO4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($69.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($79.39 @ OutletPC)
Total: $334.57
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-07-31 23:29 EDT-0400

 

[jhansman]

Cool. I negelect to add that my current rig is housed in an Antec medium tower case. Will a micro ATX board fit in a case like that? Many thanks!

 

[Flayed]

Cool. I negelect to add that my current rig is housed in an Antec medium tower case. Will a micro ATX board fit in a case like that? Many thanks!

yes it will fit with room to spare.

 

[Flayed]

You will need a video card though I assume you have one you can use?

 

[VirtualLarry]

Honestly, for the (relatively minor, if any) price difference, the 3rd-Gen Ryzen 5 3600 for $199.99 FS @ Newegg, is a better choice, than an R7 2700. (And I say that, as someone who just recently did that exact upgrade.)

If budget is an issue, and it looks like it is, then consider dropping down to the Ryzen R5 1600, while it's still available at fire-sale pricing, for $104.99 @ Newegg, or $79.99 in-store, if it ever comes back at MC.

You can always overclock it from 3.4Ghz all-core (normal turbo clock all-core), to 3.7-3.8Ghz on air, on the stock cooler, all-core. (Although, I personally feel that most higher-core Ryzen, near 4Ghz, really should be on a 240mm AIO WC or better.)

 

[VirtualLarry]

Just FYI, the R5 1600 (~$105 @ Newegg) is 6C/12T, with NO iGPU, requires a discrete video card. Same deal with the R7 2700 (8C/16T), requires discrete GPU.

The Ryzen R3 2200G APU (4C/4T), or the Ryzen R5 2400G APU (4C/8T, better graphics), do not require a discrete video card. They have really decent (for most things, not high-refresh-rate or 4K gaming) graphics, for an APU.

 

[Torn Mind]

Ebay/Newegg/Amazon/Craigslist i5 or i7 desktop. Buy one, a Dell maybe, for about $200-$300. Maybe less. Probably get Ivy Bridge(i5-3xxx) or later for USB 3.0 compatibility. They will come with RAM sticks, HDDs, etc which you could resell. Windows license might be iffy if not from an authorized refurbisher.

If you still can, remove vendor specific drivers from your Windows install on your SSDs so you can boot from your storage drives on your fresh refurb computer.

 

[jhansman]

You will need a video card though I assume you have one you can use?

Yes, I forgot to add that to my sig. I'm running a Radeon HD 7700 that seems to handle whatever I throw at it. I have the upcoming Mechwarrior 5 coming next month and will be interested to see how my system handles it.

I have to say that the notion of rebuilding my rig does interest me, even if my current parts are actually healthy. Computer building is soooo much more interesting than just buying something from Dell or HP. I really appreciate the info left here; it has upped my knowledge about what's current a great deal.

 

[Flayed]

You can't really go wrong with any of the Ryzen cpu's. Just need to decide if you want 6c/12t or 8c/16t. I picked the 2700 as it's 8c/16t @65W compared to your current hex core @125W.

 

[jhansman]

OK, you guys have me hooked. I have use Flayed's list as starting point, adding a 1TB Samsung 970 EVO M.2 for system and major application storage, bringing the total to about $550. This would bring me into the 21st century and would likely be my last build. I can salvage my SSD drives and video card and the rest would be relegated to the spare box. One feature I really like about my current mobo is the USB 3.1 header that connects to my case's front ports; do today's boards still feature this header? I use those port quite often. Thanks.

Oh, and I'll need an affordable cooler (air) as well; quiet is a priority, as I don't OC. Again, thanks for the recommendations.

 

[Flayed]

One feature I really like about my current mobo is the USB 3.1 header that connects to my case's front ports; do today's boards still feature this header? I use those port quite often. Thanks.

The motherboard says it has :

• 6 USB 3.1 Gen1 (2 Front, 4 Rear)

https://www.asrock.com/mb/AMD/B450M Pro4/index.asp

Oh, and I'll need an affordable cooler (air) as well; quiet is a priority, as I don't OC. Again, thanks for the recommendations.

There are lots of air coolers to choose from, maybe something like CRYORIG H7 CPU TOWER.

 

[jhansman]

The motherboard says it has :

• 6 USB 3.1 Gen1 (2 Front, 4 Rear)

https://www.asrock.com/mb/AMD/B450M Pro4/index.asp


There are lots of air coolers to choose from, maybe something like CRYORIG H7 CPU TOWER.

Yeah, I saw the front ports in the manual I downloaded; just wanted to be sure. And the selection of coolers is a bit intimidating; anyone use the be Quiet coolers? I'm enjoying a near-silent one on my Phenom II now, along with very quiet case fans as well.

 

[UsandThem]

Yeah, I saw the front ports in the manual I downloaded; just wanted to be sure. And the selection of coolers is a bit intimidating; anyone use the be Quiet coolers? I'm enjoying a near-silent one on my Phenom II now, along with very quiet case fans as well.

I use three of their 140mm fans for my case intakes. They are really quiet.

That said, their newest cooler is supposedly among the best of quiet-focused (if not the most quiet) air coolers out there.
https://forums.anandtech.com/threads/be-quiet-dark-rock-slim-cooler-review-techpowerup.2565194/

 

[jhansman]

Thanks for that; my list is beginning to come together nicely. It's been a long time since I've gone through this re-education process on hardware, and my brain fills up quickly. Since this will likely be my last go round, I want to get it as right as possible without driving myself crazy. When I think of how far components have come since I built my first system, it's pretty amazing what is available now. Fun!

 

[jhansman]

OK, one last question (I hope): I'd like to clone my current 850 EVO to the incoming 970 EVO M.2 before doing the rebuild. Just watched a YT vid where the fellow did just that, but because he used a USB adapter for the M.2 drive, Samsung Magician did not recognize the 970 and had to jump through several hoops to get a bootable clone. The difference seemed to be his resorting to a PCI-E adapter, which Magician recognized. So, any suggestions on this step before I move ahead? I can get the PCI-E adapter from the Egg for about $10. Is this the way to go? Thanks.

 

[Flayed]

I've never used cloning software, I have always done a fresh install of Windows and software and copied data over.

 

[jhansman]

I've never used cloning software, I have always done a fresh install of Windows and software and copied data over.

In the past, this was my typical strategy as well. However, I am running a Windows Insider build of Win10 and do not want to start all over, nor am I keen on reinstalling all my applications; It's always a couple of days getting back up to speed. In the past I have used Samsung's Data Migration tool successfully, but that was with drives that were already installed and initialized. I reckon the M.2 in a PCI-e adapter won't be all that different, but I just wanted to get another take on it. As the fellow on YT said, "Anything that can go wrong likely will," and did for him. This is not my first rodeo, but every time it's a bit different, with something (drive, BIOS, etc.) new in the mix.